From empty warehouse to bar and restaurant

For this project, Yanis Lachat used a model created for a client who wanted to visualize an empty space. He had rendered an empty model, but believed that this project had the potential to transform itself into something unique.

Creative Insipration

The large open space was an instant source of inspiration for him! He decided to add his personal touch, with an unrefined industrial look that included lots of metal and raw materials. He thought it would be interesting to contrast the cold space with warm elements; in order to achieve this, he added components that would make the space feel friendly and casual such as furniture, a bar, chairs, etc. Pinterest and Google searches were invaluable in getting the creative juices flowing.

3D Modeling

He modeled everything in the scene using 3ds Max, except for small accessories such as the forks, knives, and bottles placed in the bar.

He has a go-to set of tools in 3ds Max that he always uses simply because they are straightforward and suitable for all types of designs. He starts with a simple box, and then builds around it using cut, extrusion, slice, and sweep. For more organic shapes, he uses TurboSmooth to achieve a softer finish. With 3D software getting increasingly sophisticated, he finds the most basic tools to be the most efficient for his workflow.

Texturing

In terms of texturing, nothing was too challenging within this scene. He used the standard UV mapping and unwrapping tools found in 3ds Max. Personally, he finds the slate material editor intuitive to work with.

Lighting and Camera

The overall lighting of the scene is derived from Peter Guthrie’s HDRI map, however, to create a sense of warmth, he added approximately 50 small lights to the space such as candles and bottle lights.

Rendering

The renderer used for this scene was Corona. Isolating each element while working provides very fast rendering feedback, and he only pressed the render button at the very end. Usually, he renders at 4000px which is standard for print but lower for web resolution. All in all, he didn’t have to spend much time tweaking parameters.

Post-Production

The final render didn’t need a lot of post-production as the renderer includes an integrated LUT correction.

Nevertheless, he always ends up in Photoshop to add some finishing touches. He plays around with the levels, colors, add some vignetting, and includes some chromatic aberration. Where needed, he slightly sharpened the image and played with masks to lighten or darken specific elements. Lastly, for a more filmic look, he used Red Giant’s Magic Bullet Looks and After Effects.